This blog on Texas education contains posts on accountability, testing, college readiness, dropouts, bilingual education, immigration, school finance, race, class, and gender issues with additional focus at the national level.

Growing up in West Texas, my mother taught me that if you
worked hard enough, anything was possible. We believed in the American
Dream - the idea that success was in reach, you just had to earn it. We
felt confident that there was a better tomorrow for the next generation.
Yet, just recently The New York Times
reported that only 64 percent of Americans would say that they still
believed in the American Dream. This number, the paper reports, is the
"lowest result in roughly two decades." One man interviewed noted that,
"the decks have been stacked against not only the lower class but also
the lower middle class."
These statistics are not surprising in
the face of the large economic and social divides found within our
country. As the lead up to November's midterm elections proved,
our country has increasingly become politically polarized. We have
ushered in representatives that go against some of the core values of
the Latino community and who continue to pass reforms that oftentimes do
not take our community into account.
I can understand why the
American Dream no longer seems to be in reach for the many Americans,
including those in the Latino community, who feel as if those in
Washington only listen to a select few. President Obama has taken
decisive action on immigration reform to keep families together and to
allow millions to come out of the shadows. But we still have politically
charged lawsuits such as the State of Texas v. United States of America,which
aims to take this progress away by making false claims that the
President's executive actions and Department of Homeland Security's
directive on deferred action suspends the enforcement of our country's
immigration laws. We need lawmakers that think through solutions to
problems, not just figure out ways to repeal solutions.
The same
goes for education. The recently passed $1.1 trillion spending bill
includes cutting $303 million for Pell Grants, a program that helps to
provide financial aid for an estimated 51 percent of Latino undergraduates. We should be creating more opportunities for education - a key issue for Latino voters - not taking them away.
Despite
these issues, I remain optimistic. If November's election teaches us
anything, it is that while this is a setback for the many who hoped to
bring change, it is not the end of the American Dream. As a community,
there are more reasons than ever to get out to the polls and work to
elect those who reflect Latino values. Latinos need leaders who are
advancing policies that make it easier to once again believe in hope and
opportunity.
The Latino Victory Project is focused on supporting
and electing candidates from our community - such as Secretary of
State-electeds Nellie Gorbea and Alex Padilla as well as
Representative-elect Ruben Gallego and Representative Raul Ruiz. These
are the leaders who are willing to listen and who are ready to fight for
what is right. They are the next generation of Americans who stand
proudly to usher in a changing America rather than attempting to push
immigrants and the Latino community to the sidelines.